About the Book

Race, Rights and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment

Eric Yamamoto, University of Hawai'i, William S. Richardson School of Law

Margaret Chon, Seattle University School of Law

Carol Izumi, UC Hastings College of the Law

Jerry Kang, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law

Frank H. Wu, Dean and Chancellor, UC Hastings College of the Law

2013. 538 pages. ISBN: 978-1-4548-0820-6.

About the Book

Race, Rights and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment is the first comprehensive course book that provides critical examination of the Asian-American legal experience, and the legal, social and ethical ramifications of the internment of Japanese- Americans during World War II and the successful reparations movement of the 1980s. Appropriate for a diverse set of law school and non-legal courses, it supplements carefully contextualized case law and social policies with dramatic oral histories, essays, commentary and photographs sure to stimulate class discussion.

The Second Edition represents a substantial revision of the original course book. Several new chapters expressly link the Japanese-American internment cases and redress to the civil liberties and national security issues raised post-9/11, making Asian-American legal history even more relevant to significant contemporary controversies. Other key updates to first edition material include an even more comprehensive Overview Chapter and the addition of recent scholarly and judicial treatment of the World War II and coram nobis internment cases.

Hallmark features of Race, Rights and Reparation:

The only course book that covers Asian-American legal history and reparations.

Accessible, multidisciplinary approach appeals to scholars, students and instructors of ethnic studies, history, sociology, as well as law and legal studies.

Contextualizes internment and reparations to facilitate understanding of what happened and why, including an overview chapter with key details and timelines.

Examines how social policy and politics both enabled and constrained legal decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Discusses “headline” topics, such as redress for governmental misconduct and the national security implications of the Japanese-American experience.

Flexible, modular organization accommodates the focus and interests of different courses and instructors.

Authors’ website provides updates and additional information.

Comprehensive teacher’s manual provides additional background material and guidance on how to use the book for different law school courses, including civil procedure, constitutional law, and national security law – as well as courses offered outside of law schools.

The Second Edition has been substantially revised with new chapters and updated material, including:

An even more comprehensive overview chapter covering the text’s larger themes and significant legal specifics.

Completely new chapters replace old ones to expressly link the internment cases and Japanese-American redress to post-9/11 national security/civil liberties issues and to U.S. and International Reparations/Reconciliation.

Updated material on scholarly and judicial treatment of the World War II and coram nobis internment cases.